Twitter • Instagram • LinkedIn • Threads • Facebook • Published 4/26/2024
The Way of Tea Club invited CJS Faculty and Professor of Theatre Julie Iezzi, Kabuki Master Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII, Mrs. Yukika Soma, Kabuki Master Ichikawa Komazo XI, and CJS staff to the Jaku’an Tea House on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 for a tea ceremony. It was an honor to be served tea alongside two Kabuki masters, both here in Hawai’i supporting The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves, a famous Kabuki production now in English at Kennedy Theatre until April 28, and made possible by the hard work of Dr. Iezzi and many others, including CJS Graduate Students, MFA, and PhD students.
A Way of Tea student preparing matcha green tea for guests
The Way of Tea Club students, led by Instructor Ono Riley, showcased their expertise in the tea ceremony by serving each guest a freshly whisked bowl of Matcha green tea alongside delicious sweets. Following the ceremony, as everyone remained gracefully seated in seiza, guests and hosts engaged in a delightful exchange, sharing the motivations behind their work. The students shared their reasons for joining the Way of Tea Club, while Master Monnosuke and Master Komazo recounted their personal journeys into the Kabuki tradition, reflecting on their paths to mastery in the art.
Delicious sweets served to each guests
After the tea ceremony, Way of Tea Instructor Ono Riley and her students sit together with guests, sharing their reasons for joining the Way of Tea Club, and getting into the art of Kabuki
Visit the Way of Tea Club website to see more of the amazing things that Instructor Akiko Riley and her students have done.